National Party Leader John Key today launched the first of a series of billboards highlighting the issues the party believes matter to New Zealanders.

The billboard, on taxation and migration, was launched in Auckland this afternoon. The same billboard is going up at sites in Wellington, Christchurch, Hamilton, and Tauranga.

"Our first election billboard promotes our intention to introduce an ongoing programme of personal tax cuts. It will be a responsible and a transparent programme," says Mr Key.

"National will build on Labour's planned October tax cuts. We will treat those as the first tranche in our tax cut programme. There will be further tax reductions on 1 April 2009, and again on 1 April 2010.

"The billboard also highlights Labour's failure to stem the tide of people voting with their feet and leaving New Zealand.

"The figures are sky-high. Recent statistics show that more people than ever are leaving. In the year to July, 80,872 people packed their bags and headed overseas for good.

"That's the highest loss for a year ended July since 1979, and the second highest loss ever. The figure equates to more than 1,500 people per week.

"Half have left for Australia, where average after-tax wages are now one-third higher than in New Zealand.

"Labour has done nothing after nine long years about this problem. National is not prepared to stand by and do nothing. I believe it is time for New Zealanders to choose a brighter future.

"National believes the public is ready for a fresh start from a new government," says Mr Key.

"Over the next two weeks we will be unveiling a number of other billboards on the core issues that a National government would want to make progress on after the election."


PDF of Billboard: http://national.org.nz/files/2008/wavegoodbye.pdf
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